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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24022225">Missing Moments</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/fangirleverything4/pseuds/fangirleverything4'>fangirleverything4</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Stranger Things (TV 2016)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/M, Gen</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-05-07</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-05-12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-03 00:47:15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Underage</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>10,719</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24022225</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/fangirleverything4/pseuds/fangirleverything4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>These are the missing moments from the show told from various perspectives. It jumps around a lot so the chapter title is which episode the snippets are from</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Eleven | Jane Hopper/Mike Wheeler</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>8</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. The Weirdo on Maple Street</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Eleven:</p><p>Eleven stood frozen in front of the three boys. Her body was shivering like mad in her drenched tee-shirt. She had never seen kids her own age before. The curly haired boy said "shit don't blind her".</p><p>His words were strange but immediately the middle boy cast his beam of light down with an apologetic look on his face. "Are you okay? What happened to you?" the boy with the light asked. His voice was soft and kind. He studied her intently but not like Papa when he was experimenting. His eyes roved her face tentatively but shyly. </p><p>"What's the matter with her?" the dark skinned boy hissed as the woods lit with a sudden flash of light sending the boys into clearer definition for only a moment. </p><p>"Can we please go before we find any other people in here?" the curly haired boy pleaded cowering a little. </p><p>"Look my house is closest. Dustin is right. Let's go there dry off and we can come up with a new plan" the middle boy said talking to the other two boys.</p><p>The dark one cast a skeptical look over his shoulder but began to walk away. "Um hi. Do you want to come back to my house?" the boy with the kind voice spoke again. "We can get out of this storm. My house is just right over there" he pointed behind him.</p><p>She didn't understand his words but she understood he wanted her to follow him. "Do you want to come?" he asked his dark brown eyes warm and comforting in the storm. She nodded hesitantly and he began walking. She followed behind him making sure this wasn't a deception. He let her trail behind him but walked slow so she could keep up and held the flashlight trained to the ground making it easier for her to follow. Eventually she sped up so she matched his pace. A small smile crossed his face at that. The smile was genuine not the mean smile Papa wore when he was trying to persuade her.</p><p>"Were you out in the storm long?" the boy asked looking over at her. She shivered in response. Another flash of light lit up the woods followed by a large crack. She jumped peering all around her for signs of life. The sound was unfamiliar but the bad men made all kinds of sounds. "It's okay. It's just thunder and lightning from the storm. It can be pretty loud when you are in the middle of it. We should hurry. The woods aren't the best place right now" he said reassuringly his mouth turning up into a smile again. She felt her own mouth copy the gesture and they quickened their pace catching up with the two other boys. They walked out of the wood and a street lined with many buildings came into view. Not buildings, <em>houses </em>the boy had said. </p><p>"This is my house" the nice boy announced. </p><p>The other two boys led the way down a set of steps and opened a door into a lit room. Eleven paused examining the open room. The room was cozy and friendly looking and was such a contrast to the cold, sterile environment of that place. Eleven cautiously walked down the few steps with the kind boy just behind. "It's okay you can go in" the boy said behind her. She nodded and took a few steps into the room. The boys shook out their clothes as Eleven felt the strangest substance beneath her feet. It wasn't grass like she felt earlier but a blue soft manmade material. The boys all looked over at her as her feet adjusted to walking on this strange surface.  </p><p>"You're probably tired. Do you want to sit?" the kind boy asked her pointing to the brown object she recognized as a couch. She sat feeling very nervous, looking up at the three boys. </p><p>~</p><p>Lucas:</p><p>Lucas led the way quietly past Mike's dad who was asleep in his La-Z-Boy in front of the tv. Thankfully they didn't run into Mrs. Wheeler or she would have insisted on giving them rides home. "This is mental" Dustin whispered as they walked around the side of their house to retrieve their bikes. </p><p>"I can't believe he's letting her spend the night" Lucas hissed furiously. </p><p>"I think he likes her. She's a weirdo, he's a weirdo. Match made in heaven right" Dustin grinned wiggling his eyebrows. </p><p>"Shut up Dustin. Mike would never like a girl like that" Lucas growled. </p><p>"Mike's never liked a girl before" Dustin reminded him hopping on his bike and biking off. </p><p>Lucas gazed down the steps where he had left his best friend with a strange girl who was now spending the night. The first girl to ever spend the night in Mike's basement since Nancy got too old for sleepovers. He felt a lick of fury that Mike was taking the time to befriend a stranger instead of trying to find their actual friend Will. He sighed and hopped on his bike heading off for home, Dustin a small flash of bright blue in the distance. </p><p>~</p><p>Mike: </p><p>Mike prepared for school as he usually did. "Mike, want a ride? You are running late" his mom called. </p><p>"No Mom. I'm good" he hollered back running out the door before she could stop him. He hopped on his bike and sped off his heart in his throat. He's never even skipped a class before let alone skipped the whole day. Then again he had never heard of people hunting a twelve year old girl before. Checking over his shoulder he biked to the top of the cul de sac following his normal route. Then he turned and biked over the bumpy lawn that ran adjacent to the power lines by his house. He hid in the bushy trees there waiting with his pulse racing. The time trickled by painfully slowly. He had heard his mother saying she had to run errands and that Holly had a playdate but Mike didn't have any idea what time that would be at. </p><p><em>El must be so worried. I told her I would be right back. She's sitting in my basement all alone and probably terrified. </em>He was surprised by the sudden protective feeling that rose within him but this young girl needed him. She needed him to protect her and hide her. He had read about heroes all his life and now here was an actual girl who needed saving. He couldn't let her down. He was so deep in thought he nearly missed his mother's car driving up the road. He got back on his bike and paused long enough for the car to pass him. Then he sped down the hill back towards his house, towards El. </p><p>"Hey El, it's me" he called softly as he opened the basement door. He felt more than heard her sigh in relief.</p><p>"Mike" her small voice called out emerging from under the makeshift fort he made. </p><p>"Hey did you sleep okay?" he asked. She nodded softly. Then her eyes narrowed on the item his hands. "Yeah this is my bike. I normally keep it in the garage but if my mom saw it she would know I didn't go to school today" he told her stashing the bike against the wall. </p><p>"School?" she parroted frowning at him. </p><p>"School you know the place where kids go to learn. We have homework, teachers, and all that. Do you not go to school? Are you homeschooled?" Mike asked examining her face for reaction. Her eyes narrowed but she didn't respond. </p><p>"School is mostly lame but science is pretty cool" Mike continued trying to break the tense moment. He could tell she didn't understand what he was saying but didn't comment. </p><p>"Well come on everyone is gone. Want to see the rest of my house?" Mike asked eagerly grinning at her excitedly, feeling nervous fluttering in his stomach at the prospect of showing a girl around his home. El grinned back and her smile made him feel like he had just won a prize. Her smiles weren't fake but soft and beautiful. He knew they were something you had to earn. The fact she smiled at him made his skin catch fire and a light blush colored his cheeks. </p><p>"Great come on" he said ducking his head slightly to hide his blush. </p><p>He led the way up the stairs and into the hall. "You want something to drink? We have OJ, skim milk. What else?" he listed calling over his shoulder but he quickly realized El wasn't paying attention to him. He turned around to see her examining his living room. </p><p>"Oh this is my living room? It's mostly for watching tv" he told her his hands resting on his Dad's prized box. El ran a finger along the tv. "Nice right? It's a 22 inch. That's like 22 times bigger than the one at Dustin's" he bragged nervously glancing up at her only to notice she had already turned away. <em>Guess it's not that impressive. </em>El gazed up at the mantle where photos of him and his siblings were. She stepped gingerly on the ledge and ran a finger along Nancy's photo. </p><p>"Pretty" she murmured. </p><p><em>Why does everyone always love my sister?  </em>"Yeah I guess. That's my sister Nancy" he grumbled. "And that's baby Holly" he continued as she touched the frame. </p><p>"And that's my parents. What are your parents like?" he asked. She didn't answer. He didn't really expect her to. "Do they live close?" he tried once more. Again, no response. She didn't ever seem to answer personal questions. <em>Then again if she had parents wouldn't they be protecting her from the bad men hunting her. Also why would she be in the woods in just a ragged tee-shirt which clearly didn't even belong to her. </em></p><p>"That's our La-Z-Boy. It's where my dad sleeps" Mike chuckled. El gripped the cushioned material in her hands curiously. </p><p>"You can try it if you want" he offered. Her nervous light brown eyes met his and she stepped cautiously around the chair. </p><p>"Yeah. It's fun" he promised. She gingerly sat in the armchair her body stiffly and slowly sinking into the cushioned chair. Her eyes flicked to his once more examining him warily. </p><p>"Just trust me okay?" he asked. She nodded slowly and his heart squeezed. <em>She trusts me. This scared girl on the run trusts me. </em>He yanked the recliner of the chair and El rocked back. He laughed and smiled at her. El grinned and he heard a nervous laugh escape her mouth. </p><p>"See? Fun, right?" he asked. She glanced over grinning at him and the look sent a warm feeling down his spine. He set the chair back. </p><p>"Now you try" he smiled. El reached her hand down grimacing a little as she pulled up the lever. </p><p>A genuine, bubbling laugh escaped El's mouth and a wide grin split her face making him feel strangely whole. He laughed fully feeling light and buoyant. She laughed again this time the smile reached her eyes. It was pretty much the prettiest smile he'd ever seen.</p><p>~</p><p>Dustin:</p><p>As Dustin and Lucas raced to Mike's house after school, Dustin wondered what Mike had done all day with a girl in his house. He knew Lucas held a grudge against her but he liked the girl. She was weird but a mystery and Dustin liked mysteries. His heart did race a little wondering if she would end up being foe rather than friend but he had seen the look in Mike's eyes and knew it was too late to hold her at arms length. They parked their bikes on the side of the house and Dustin jogged to the front door, Lucas on his heels. </p><p>He knocked loudly and a minute later Mrs. Wheeler opened the door with Holly on her hip. "Hello boys. He's upstairs. He wasn't feeling well this morning but hopefully he's feeling better. Would you like to stay for dinner?" she asked kindly. </p><p>"That'd be great. Thanks Mrs. Wheeler" Lucas grinned stepping over the threshold and up the stairs. Dustin grinned at her and followed hot on Lucas's heels.</p><p>"Yeah he's sick as shit. What happened to his plan?" Lucas grumbled as he led the way up the stairs. Lucas turned the knob on Mike's bedroom but it was locked. </p><p>"Mike it's us" Dustin called.</p><p>"It's just Lucas and Dustin" Mike said reassuringly as he opened the door. Lucas turned strode angrily into the room. He stopped dead in the middle of room. </p><p><em>A girl is on Mike's bed. Oh my god. Is she even wearing pants? </em>Eleven sat cross-legged on Mike's bed under a colorful blanket. Dustin shut the door stunned. </p><p>"Are you out of your mind?" Lucas demanded. </p><p>"Just listen to me" Mike begged. </p><p>"You are out of your mind" Lucas declared. </p><p>"She knows about Will" Mike announced. </p><p><em>Another mystery. </em>"What do you mean she knows about Will?" Dustin asked. </p><p>"She pointed at him. At his picture. She knew he was missing, I could tell" Mike grabbed their photo from the science competition last year. </p><p>"You could tell?" Lucas repeated mockingly. </p><p>"Just think about it. Do you really think it was a coincidence we found her on Mirkwood? The same place Will disappeared" Mike asked logically. </p><p><em>There are no coincidences in a mystery. </em>"That is weird" Dustin admitted. </p><p>"And she said bad people are after her. I think maybe these bad people are the same ones that took Will. I think she knows what happened to him" Mike continued. </p><p>
  <em>What kind of people are really around here nabbing kids? Maybe Lucas was right maybe she was from somewhere really bad like a mental ward. Although, she seems intelligent despite the language troubles. </em>
</p><p>"Then why doesn't she tell us?" Lucas hissed furiously. Lucas frowned over at her before getting close to her. Dustin could see how quickly she tensed up, fear filling her eyes. </p><p>"Do you know where he is? Do you know where Will is?" Lucas yelled grabbing her shoulders. </p><p>
  <em>She was clearly terrified. Dustin had never seen Lucas act so...brutish. Almost like a bully causing fear to someone weaker. </em>
</p><p>"Stop it you're scaring her" Mike growled protectively. </p><p>"She should be scared. If you know where he is, tell us" Lucas insisted. The girl looked up at him her mouth trembling, her eyes fearful and sad. </p><p>Lucas spun around realizing he wasn't getting anything out of her. "This is nuts. We have to take her to your mom" Lucas said to us. </p><p>"No! Eleven said telling any adult would put us in danger" Mike told him. </p><p>"What kind of danger?" Dustin asked fearfully. </p><p>"Her name is Eleven?" Lucas asked in disbelief. </p><p>"El for short" Mike replied. </p><p>"Mike what kind of danger?" Dustin asked again. </p><p>"Danger danger" Mike snapped. Slowly he raised his two fingers to Dustin's temple and pretended to pull the trigger. </p><p><em>Holy shit holy shit. These bad people wouldn't kill a kid would they? </em>Dustin thought as Mike mimed the same gesture to Lucas's head who slapped his hand away. </p><p>"No, no, no! We're going back to plan A. We're telling your mom" Lucas hollered.</p><p>He shoved the two of them and grabbed the door ripping it open. Then the most amazing thing happened. The door slammed shut again so hard Mike's dresser shook. Dustin blinked unsure he had just seen the door actually move on its own. Lucas tried again and the door slammed shut with such force some of the toys on Mike's desk rolled off. The lock on the door clicked shut by itself. </p><p>The boys all turned in stunned silence to see El standing, blood trickling out of her nose, a furious determined expression on her face. "No" she growled. </p><p><em>Holy shit she has superpowers. This is fucking awesome!</em>  Before anyone could say a word, Mike's mom called up the stairs "Boys dinner". </p><p>"Shit. We have to go downstairs. Stay here okay and we'll be back in a bit" Mike said his face gentle as he gazed at El. He grabbed a tissue from the box on his desk and held out a tissue for El. "We'll be back soon okay?" Mike promised. </p><p>El grabbed the tissue and nodded up at him, her eyes trusting. </p><p>Lucas strode out of the room. Dustin followed him. Once Mike had gingerly shut the door, Lucas pinned him against the wall. "Dude what the hell?" Lucas asked. </p><p>"Did you know she had superpowers?" Dustin asked. </p><p>"No" Mike admitted. </p><p>"Don't you see though, we can't tell anyone about her? Can you imagine my mom trying to help? Remember in X-Men people are always trying to exploit people like her" Mike insisted. </p><p>"He's right. We can't tell anyone now" Dustin agreed. They both looked at Lucas. </p><p>"Fine" Lucas grumbled. </p><p>"Promise?" Mike asked meeting Lucas's eyes in challenge.</p><p>"Fine I promise" Lucas agreed reluctantly. Dustin nodded enthusiastically. </p><p>"Boys" Mrs. Wheeler called again. </p><p>They all headed down the stairs. Dustin's mind was furiously think of everything he knew about telekinesis and mind powers and dinner lost its appeal as the magnitude of what lay upstairs was just beginning to weigh on his shoulders. By Mike and Lucas's untouched plates they were feeling similarly. </p><p>"Something wrong with the meatloaf?" Mrs. Wheeler asked. The boys froze. </p><p>"Oh no, I had two bologna sandwiches for lunch. I don't know why" Dustin lied uncomfortably. </p><p>"Me too" Lucas mumbled chuckling lightly. </p><p>"It's delicious Mommy" Nancy complimented her voice buttery and sweet. Mike's eyes narrowed a little but Mrs. Wheeler practically beamed. </p><p>"So, there's this...special assembly tonight for Will at the school field. Barb's driving" Nancy began. </p><p>"Why is this the first I'm hearing about it?" her mom asked suspiciously. </p><p>
  <em>Because it's bullshit. Nancy is only going to hang out with that tool Harrington. No one who goes will even know Will or have ever talked to him. Will's mom and Jonathan won't even be there.  </em>
</p><p>"I thought you knew" Nancy said innocently. </p><p>"I told you, I don't want you out after dark until Will is found" Mrs. Wheeler said sternly. </p><p>"I know but it'd be super weird if I wasn't there. I mean, everyone's going" Nancy argued. </p><p>Mrs. Wheeler sighed deeply. "Just be back by 10:00" she said. Nancy nodded. "Why don't you take the boys too?" she suggested. </p><p>"No" Mike screeched. </p><p>Dustin and Lucas shook their heads making sounds of disagreement. </p><p>"Don't you think you should be there for Will?" his mom asked confused. </p><p>Before any of the boys could think of a valid lie, El came wondering down the staircase. Mike spluttered and sprayed his milk everywhere as he stared in shock at El who didn't seem to notice and continued exploring the house. Mrs. Wheeler began to turn around to see what had startled Mike. Without thinking, Dustin slammed his fork and knife down on the table scaring the rest of the Wheelers. "Sorry spasm" he apologized sheepishly. Lucas and Nancy glanced between Dustin and Mike as if they had grown a second head. </p><p>Holly frowned and made soft whimpering sounds. "It's okay Holly. It was just a loud noise" Mrs. Wheeler said reassuringly. </p><p>"Nice" Nancy scolded glaring at Dustin. </p><p>"Yeah that's our bad but truthfully I still don't feel well and Hopper told us the best way we can help Will is by staying home so why don't we clear the table and we will be in the basement" Mike stammered getting to his feet and grabbing his plate. Dustin jumped to his feet eagerly too.</p><p>"It's okay boys" Mrs. Wheeler said beginning to get up. </p><p>"No really we insist" Dustin said loudly pulling Lucas to his feet. </p><p>"Yeah our pleasure" Lucas grumbled sarcastically grabbing his plate and glass. </p><p>Mike led the way into the hallway and Dustin blocked him by standing next to Mrs. Wheeler. "Um thanks for dinner Mrs. Wheeler" he grinned and hugged her awkwardly with one arm. He peeked behind him and noticed Mike had continued into the kitchen. </p><p>"What's up with you guys?" Nancy asked. </p><p>"It's called being grateful" Dustin responded before turning on his heel dramatically and continuing into the kitchen. </p><p>"Where's El?" Dustin whispered. </p><p>"The basement door is open. I'm guessing she headed down there" Mike mumbled. </p><p>"Oh so the wierdo doesn't follow directions well. Is that why you two were also acting like freaks?" Lucas hissed. </p><p>"Shut up Lucas" Mike whispered vehemently grabbing a clean plate from the cabinet. Mike returned to the living room grabbing the tray of meatloaf and bowl of mashed potatoes. He then began to pile up food on the plate. </p><p>"What are you doing?" Lucas asked. </p><p>"For El. She's probably starving and that's why she came downstairs" Mike replied his ears reddening a little. </p><p>Lucas rolled his eyes a muscle in his jaw clenching. "Well let's not keep the weirdo waiting. Come on Dustin" Lucas called going back into the living room to finish clearing the table. </p><p>Mike glared after him resentfully.</p><p>~</p><p>Dustin:</p><p>"El is there anything you can tell us about our friend Will?" Mike asked gently after El had finished eating. El wiped her mouth and cast her eyes down fiddling with her thumbs. <em>Maybe she can't say it? What if she is like an alien who has a limited vocabulary it would explain why she didn't know what a friend was. </em></p><p>"Or maybe can you show us if you know anything?" Dustin prompted. </p><p>Mike glanced up curiously but El trained her eyes on him studying him. Then she stood up and began exploring the basement. Dustin sighed. "This is crazy" Lucas mumbled. </p><p>She sat at our D &amp; D game. "What's the weirdo doing?" Lucas asked Mike who shrugged. </p><p>"El?" Mike asked softly as he examined her face. Her eyes were shut, hands flat on the table. Then her head knocked back and her eyes flashed open. She picked up the wizard play piece and studied it.</p><p>"Will" she said simply. <em>Damn. </em></p><p>"Superpowers" Dustin gasped softly. Lucas shook his head at him. Mike sat down next to her.</p><p>"Did you see him? On Mirkwood? Do you know where he is?" he asked her softly. El glanced up at him her face blank. Then with one hand she knocked all the rest of the pieces to the floor. <em>Our campaign. Son of a bitch. </em>She flipped the game board over and slammed Will the Wise into the middle of the board. </p><p>"I don't understand" Mike admitted looking up at her pleadingly. </p><p>"Hiding" El said simply. </p><p>"Will is hiding?" Mike clarified. <em>Will always was a good hider</em> Dustin thought remembering when they would play manhunt together with other neighborhood kids. Will was always the best at finding spots. </p><p>"From the bad men?" Mike continued. El shook her head slightly, her brow furrowing just a little. "Then from who?" he asked his eyes never leaving her face. She picked up the Demogorgon and placed it next to Will the Wise. Mike looked up stunned at Lucas. </p><p>
  <em>Holy shit!</em>
</p><p>"Boys it's getting late. It's a school night" Mrs. Wheeler called. The boys all groaned. </p><p>"Ten more minutes" Mike screamed. Eleven jumped a little and Mike winced apologetically at her. </p><p>"Okay tonight everyone grab supplies whatever you have to fight a Demogorgon. Tomorrow meet me at my house before school and we can make a plan with El. I'm not going to be able to skip another day but tomorrow after school we find Will" Mike declared. </p><p>"You're letting her stay another night" Lucas asked in disbelief. </p><p>"It's not safe for her outside and if she knows anything about Will we have to keep her safe. You promised" Mike reminded him a protective edge coming into his voice. Lucas nodded and walked up the stairs. </p><p>"Why do you even trust her? She could be lying. I mean come on guys that is just a game" Lucas asked in exasperation. </p><p>"Do you even any other leads on where Will is?" Dustin asked. Lucas grimaced but didn't respond. </p><p>"So until then we go with El's plan" Mike insisted stepping almost unconsciously between Lucas and Eleven. </p><p>"Fine" Lucas hissed between his teeth grabbing his backpack and going up the stairs. </p><p>"See you tomorrow. Night El" Dustin grinned at her. </p><p>"Night Dustin" she said softly. Mike grinned down at her softly and then blushed as he noticed Dustin raise an eyebrow at him. Dustin waved and followed Lucas up the stairs. </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Holly, Jolly</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>This is a short one. Sorry for the sad ending but this is all following the tv show</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Mike:</p>
<p>Mike hung back a little, biking slowly, as the two boys chatted. <em>Maybe I should have tried to be sick another day. What if El gets in trouble or needs me to help her or feels like I left her. </em></p>
<p><em>"</em>Mike if you don't pick it up we are going to get detention for being tardy" Lucas called over his shoulder. </p>
<p>"And then you'll be late to meet up with El" Dustin teased. </p>
<p>That got Mike pedaling full force. "Well I was reading up on the Demogorgon and it's a creature of the underworld. In D&amp;D, it's a demon prince and he's considered the greatest villain in the history of D &amp; D" Mike said recalling what he read last night. </p>
<p>"Seriously. That's a game genius. Maybe you have played one too many games Mike" Lucas growled panting a little as the boys raced to school. </p>
<p>"We both have and El said Will is hiding from a demogorgon. Not a person but a monster. You saw what she can do" Mike insisted. <em>She's amazing. </em></p>
<p>"Seriously Mike?" Lucas asked parking his bike at the school. </p>
<p>"I believe her she has freaking superpowers" Dustin marveled parking his bike next to him. </p>
<p>"Enough. We can't talk about her here" Mike said glancing around the crowded hallway. <em>If anyone heard any of them talking about a girl, it might get her in trouble. After all the only girl he normally talks to is Nancy and his three year old baby sister. </em></p>
<p>~</p>
<p>Eleven:</p>
<p>El felt a strange desire flooding her system. She couldn't even put into words what she wanted because she didn't understand it. She climbed the stairs to Mike's room and laid down on his bed breathing in deeply. She sighed in relief, in <em>comfort. </em>She had never felt truly comforted or safe in the bad place but she felt safe around Mike, comforted it. All it took was laying on his bed to dispel the terrible memories. She was also taken by surprise to feel how much she missed him too. She wasn't used to missing people. She missed Mike, Dustin, even Lucas and his anger. Thankfully there were many new sights to keep her plenty entertained. </p>
<p>~</p>
<p>Lucas:</p>
<p>"Come on if we...are going to do our adventure later I need some weapons for the wrist rocket" Lucas called. All students had the option of eating on school grounds for lunch. A bunch of guys were going to play baseball despite the drizzly weather so the boys followed them out to search the field for good size rocks. </p>
<p>"So why are we looking for rocks Lucas if you don't believe" Dustin asked picking up a rock and tossing it aside. </p>
<p>"Come on Lucas how can you honestly not believe? You may still have doubts about El but monsters. We have spent our lives reading comics and playing games. You really don't believe there's a possibility that monsters are real? Especially after we saw El close a door with her mind" Mike gushed in amazement. </p>
<p>Lucas fought a desire to roll his eyes. "She closed one door and I'm not saying it's not possible. Obviously I believe in the possibility or those games would be a lot less fun. I'm just saying we have found no evidence of a monster running rampant in Hawkins" Lucas stated. </p>
<p>"Yeah well the monster really isn't going to just jump out at us here at school dumbass" Dustin grumbled. </p>
<p>"You know I heard my mom talking last night. She said Will's mom is having a really tough time. A lady in the sheriff's office said that his mom had called. She said she heard Will's breathing on the phone" Mike said sounding skeptical. </p>
<p>"She's been a bit over the edge since Will's dad split" Lucas reasoned. </p>
<p>"But what if she did hear him but he couldn't talk because he was being hunted" Mike said picking up a small rock, examining it and tossing it. </p>
<p>"By the Demogorgon?" Dustin asked. </p>
<p>"Then we are gonna need a good rock. Keep looking" Lucas insisted. </p>
<p>~</p>
<p>Nancy:</p>
<p>Nancy stood listening to Carol's bullshit and feeling like the worst human in the world. Her blood was thick and sluggish so packed with guilt she was sure she would drown of it. Her best friend was missing and she was hanging out with people who's only concerns in the world were sex, drinking, and drugs. <em>Barb would never cut school. </em>A soft hand caressed her leg and she felt so nauseated she stumbled away. "Woah Nance where you going?" Steve called. </p>
<p>"I...I totally forgot....I told my mom I would um...I would do something with her" Nancy stammered. <em>God why am I still doing this?  Will is missing and now Barb and why did I ever think these losers matter?</em></p>
<p>"Wait, what do you mean? The game's about to start" Steve demanded. </p>
<p>"I'm sorry" Nancy mumbled a tear forming. </p>
<p>She forced herself to get a grip and thought of all the places Barb might go. <em>There was the town library, the video store in town, her favorite boutique and the field behind her house they sometimes did homework. She isn't at her house though and she didn't mention any college visits. Maybe she did and Nancy had been so consumed by all things Steve she hadn't heard. Her mom would have mentioned that then. </em></p>
<p>
  <em>I should find Jonathan and apologize but what am I really gonna say? Sorry Steve's a dick and I'm a bit of a dick for sleeping with him. </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Her cousin lives out of town. Maybe she went to visit her. I could stop by there too. </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Maybe there's a clue at Steve's. I should start there. </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>I have to find Barb first, then Jonathan, then deal with Steve. In that order. </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>~</em>
</p>
<p>Dustin:</p>
<p>Dustin's heart was lead in his stomach and he felt like he might throw up any minute. His mind was so squished with thought he felt light headed. He watched as Mike sped away through his blurry gaze. "W-We should go too b...before anyone spots us" Dustin stammered. </p>
<p>Lucas nodded and hopped on his bike. Dustin looked over at El who had a hand over her eyes and was shaking clearly devastated by Mike's fury. </p>
<p>"El you can hop on with me. We have to go now" Dustin managed. El's grip on him was so featherlight, he peeked over his shoulder once to make sure she was still there. Once they were in the cover of the woods, Dustin stopped and hopped off his bike to face El. </p>
<p>"I'm heading home" Lucas mumbled tears streaming down his face. </p>
<p>"Not Will" El pleaded. Dustin knew she wanted him to believe her so he nodded. </p>
<p>"Okay. Listen if you want you can stay with me or I can take you back to Mike's" Dustin swallowed. </p>
<p>"Mike's mad" El shook fresh tears leaking out. </p>
<p>"No he's hurt. Our best friend is... and he's hurt. If you want to go back to Mike's trust me he will still take you in and protect you but you have to show him your his friend. Can you do that?" Dustin asked staring into El's big eyes. </p>
<p>"Back to Mike" she repeated robotically nodding. </p>
<p>"Alright" he sighed and hopped back on his bike with El holding on a little tighter. </p>
<p>It's a good thing Dustin and their gang was used to biking around town because the later it got the more treacherous the woods became. Thankfully he knew a way to skirt the woods rather than plunge through them. </p>
<p>He raced through Mike's neighborhood and noticed Lucas's light on. Dustin wondered if he was telling his folks. Dustin couldn't think about that. For now he could only think in steps. <em>Get El to Mike</em> he repeated to himself. He parked his bike and led the way to the basement stairs with El on his heels. He held up a hand making sure she understood to wait. She nodded softly. He carefully opened the basement door and peeked in. No sign of Mike or anyone else. He strode into the basement and El returned to her nook immediately grabbing Mike's supercomm. <em>She seems right at home. </em></p>
<p>A sniffle announced Mike's return. He didn't even notice Dustin standing in front of him until he was nearly at the bottom of the stairs. Mike frowned at him. "Dustin why.." then a crackle from his supercomm interrupted him. Dustin winced sheepishly as Mike frowned at him. </p>
<p>"I offered to put her up at my place. She asked to come back here to you. I'm going home. Bye El. Bye Mike" Dustin told Mike forcefully before he broke down. <em>Bike home. </em></p>
<p>"Bye" El called softly. Dustin glanced back in the doorway. El sat cross-legged in her makeshift tent gazing up at him and Mike stood anger in his eyes, his eyes red rimmed and blazing. Then he took off into the night the tears hot on his cheeks unable to remember what he was supposed to do next. </p>
<p>~</p>
<p>Jonathan:</p>
<p>Jonathan was driving along the back roads trying to get home and escape this horrible day. Maybe actually get a sliver of sleep not punctuated with nightmares of his baby brother dead or in some pervert's basement. A figure suddenly ran into the beam of his headlights and he slammed on the brakes. He threw the car in park before getting out taking in the hysterical image of his mother crying. <em>Oh god what now? </em>"Mom" he called his voice hoarse. </p>
<p>"Jonathan" his mom sobbed looking over her shoulder while reaching out for him. </p>
<p>"Mom what happened?" he asked his voice choking. </p>
<p>His mother was so distraught, she couldn't make a coherent sound. Jonathan ran to his mother pulling her into his arms as she sobbed and his heart broke. "Will, lights, walls" she mumbled incoherently. He rocked his mother as she sobbed, the last of her sanity cracking. </p>
<p>He had no idea how long her stood there, his shirt slowly becoming damp. His mother's sobs, became gasps, and slowly quieted. He couldn't remember ever hugging her tightly but now they both clung to each other, trying to tether the other through the blinding pain they both faced.</p>
<p>"Come on Mom. Let's go home. It's cold out here" Jonathan murmured breathing in her smoky, unkempt smell. <em>Maybe I can get her to shower. </em></p>
<p>"But the house...I was being chased....the walls" she rambled incoherently. </p>
<p>"It's okay Mom. I'm here" he murmured leading her to the passenger seat. </p>
<p>Jonathan put the car in drive and drove along the bumpy road in silence. "What the..." he began as he pulled in front of the house where two cops cars lay waiting and Hopper's sheriff truck. Chief Hopper jumped down as they parked their car. </p>
<p>"Hopper did you find something?" she asked eagerly. The chief glanced somberly over his mother's head to meet Jonathan's. Jonathan's heart plummeted into his stomach and he wanted to hurl. </p>
<p>"Joyce let's go inside" Hopper said softly. Jonathan looked around as several other police officers emerged with equal masks of sadness. </p>
<p>His mother led the way inside and flicked the lights but nothing happened. "We have been having some power outages" Jonathan supplied awkwardly in the doorway. Hopper glanced at him unconvinced before clicking on his flashlight and inhaling in surprise.</p>
<p>Lights of any and every kind had been strung from every surface. Jonathan glanced around taking in the clear signs of insanity and Hopper's keen eyes studied the surroundings and then met his eyes once more, as if realizing what Jonathan had known for a while. His mother was a lost cause...and possibly completely insane. "Are you going to tell me what you found Hopper?" his mother asked, crossing her arms self consciously. Jonathan couldn't recall anything else that happened that night. He registered Hopper's words, his mother's frozen face, his wet face. Cops gave him pats on the shoulder as they photographed the house, the signs of insanity. He watched his mother's face ramble with pleading, desperate hope. But everything was tinny and out of focus. </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. The Body</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Mike:</p><p>Mike looked into El's big brown eyes and she peered up at him. "Was that?" he asked his heart hammering in his chest. </p><p>"Will" El murmured. </p><p>"But but...if he's alive then...but I heard him and..." Mike stammered trying to get his thoughts in order. <em>You know what you heard. Will is alive and it's about damn time we find him. Screw whatever it is they fished out of the lake. I know what I heard and I know what I saw. Somehow El channeled Will. Maybe she can actually find him. He was singing so that must mean for now at least he's okay. </em></p><p>He met El's eyes and realized they were timid and afraid. <em>Afraid of him. God I'm an ass. </em></p><p>"Mike mad?" El asked very voice shaking a little. </p><p>He sighed and sat in front of her. "El I'm sorry. I shouldn't have yelled at you and left you behind. I was wrong. So wrong. My friend is missing and in danger and seeing that...I freaked out" Mike apologized. She nodded softly. </p><p>"El...I'm glad you came back here" Mike said softly. El's beautiful eyes blinked back at him. </p><p>"Me too" she said softly and smiled the smallest smile at him. It sent an small explosion off in the pit of his stomach. He grinned at her widely. </p><p>"Are you hungry? I can grab us a snack and then we can keep trying to get Will back" Mike offered. </p><p>El nodded a little and Mike was surprised to see a little color touching her cheeks. He wondered if she was blushing. </p><p>"Okay" he breathed. "What would you like?" he asked then winced knowing she didn't even know any snacks he had. </p><p>"Circle" she asked. He thought back on the foods he brought here. Circle. Oh she means Eggos. </p><p>"They are called Eggos. Sure I'll make you some. Be right back" Mike said jumping to his feet. </p><p>He sprinted up the stairs thriving in the lightness he felt which was such a sharp contrast to the rage and despair he had felt an hour or so ago. He snuck into the kitchen and pulled out the freezer drawer. He pulled out two Eggos and put them in the toaster. "Mike is that you?" his mom called. </p><p>"I'm just grabbing food Mom. I don't want to talk" he called back. The Eggos popped out and he grabbed them and two Yoohoos from his fridge. Then he went back down the stairs to where El sat waiting for him. Together, they might get to hear Will again. </p><p>~</p><p>Dustin: </p><p>Dustin had cried himself asleep curled on his moms lap. He woke feeling numb from his scalp to the tip of his toe. He didn't think you could get hypothermia from crying but he certainly felt that way. His mother put down a plate of eggs and bacon in front of him. "Dusty sweetie I think one of your friends is calling you on that talking box you have" </p><p>"It's called a supercomm Mom" he moaned in exasperation. </p><p>She stuck out her tongue at him and called Mews into the kitchen for his breakfast. Dustin grabbed his plate and headed into his room. "Dustin come in" Lucas's voice called. </p><p>Sitting crosslegged on his bed he took a steadying breath before grabbing his walkie. "What's up Lucas? Over" he called. </p><p>"Mike wants us to come over before school" Lucas told me and Dustin could hear the anger and uncertainty from here. </p><p>"You are supposed to say over. Over" Dustin reminded him smirking. </p><p>"Is this about Will's...Will's thing today over" Dustin asked his mouth dry. He took a bite of eggs for something to do. </p><p>"I don't know he wouldn't say anything he just said to tell you to come over but he sounded...he sounded hopeful" Lucas admitted. </p><p>Dustin's heart which had been so heavy with pain sped up double time. "Do you think El found something? Over" he asked his voice breathless. </p><p>"I don't know why we are still protecting the weirdo or why she is still crashing at Mike's" Lucas growled. </p><p>"She needs us Lucas. We promised. If there's a chance she knows something about what happened to Will we owe it to him to find out" Dustin said his voice cracking and a single tear trickled down his cheek. </p><p>"Y-You didn't say over. Over" Lucas stammered his voice hoarse. </p><p>"I'll meet you in front of your house in 15. Over and out" Dustin chuckled softly before inhaling his breakfast. </p><p>~</p><p>Lucas:</p><p>Lucas felt equal parts amazed and annoyed. "El that was amazing" Dustin panted as they stopped outside the A.V room catching their breath. </p><p>"Did you do that?" Lucas asked trying to not be as impressed as he was. </p><p>El nodded and gave him a shy smile. "Mike okay?" she asked looking sideways at Mike who practically had stars in his eyes. </p><p>"I would have taken the hit but thanks that was awesome" Mike gushed grinning at her. </p><p><em>Give me a break. </em>"Let's go are we doing this?" Lucas asked holding out his hand for the keys. He unlocked the door and held it open before locking it behind them. <em>This is such a mistake </em>he thought ruefully. He glared over at El as Mike dragged her over to the ham kit. Both Mike and Dustin's faces were lit up with excitement. <em>They believe her. I don't. All that's gonna happen is they are going to have their hope crushed all over again. Me I'll stick with grieving. </em></p><p>"Now what?" Dustin asked glancing between Mike and El. </p><p>"She'll find him right El?" Mike said confidently preparing the broadcast system until he found an free frequency. The white noise crackled in the quiet room. El placed her palms flat on the table and closed her eyes. </p><p>Lucas bent down trying to see a sign of her actually doing something but her face was devoid of emotion, as usual. Lucas hated it but his nerves were on high alert and his skin had goosebumps as they all listened for some vague sign in the white noise of the radio. He may not believe Will is alive but he had seen twice now that this small girl in front of him wearing Nancy's pink church dress and fake blonde wig actually had superpowers. The crackle of the radio softened. </p><p>"She's finding him" Mike exclaimed eagerly looking into her face like it was the greatest show he ever watched. </p><p>"This is crazy" Dustin muttered amazed. </p><p>"Calm down she just closed her eyes" Lucas muttered mutinously. At that moment the light overheard blew out making him jump. <em>What the...</em></p><p>"Holy.." Dustin started to say but before he could finish his swear an noise came over the radio a slow building clanging sound increasing in volume. Lucas's pulse raced and he tried to be rational but he couldn't deny the sound coming over the radio. </p><p>"What is that?" Dustin breathed. The clanging continued getting louder and louder as if coming towards them. </p><p>Then a voice Lucas thought he would never hear again came through the radio. Clear and irrefutable. "Mom?" Will called. "No way!" Lucas gasped. <em>This isn't possible. He's dead. We saw...a body. </em></p><p>"Mom please" Will called again his voice pleading. <em>That's his voice. Will he's not...he's still alive?</em></p><p>"Mom!" he sobbed.</p><p>"Will!" Lucas yelled breaking out of his reverie. </p><p>"Will it's us can you hear us?" Dustin shrieked. </p><p>"Hello? Mom" Will asked again. <em>He knows our voices but we must not be reaching him. </em></p><p>"Why can't he hear us?" Lucas asked desperately. </p><p>"I don't know!" Mike shouted. </p><p>"Mom" Will sobbed his voice sounding relieved like he was seeing her. </p><p>An strange growl crackled through the radio. "Mom. Mom it's coming" Will gasped. </p><p>"It's like home, but it's so dark...it's so dark and empty. And it's cold!" Will sobbed. Lucas's throat tightened as he realized how miserable and afraid his friend was. </p><p>"Mom please" Will protested. <em>We can't hear Mrs. Byers. Mike said Eleven could channel Will but maybe she can only do one at a time or..</em></p><p>A long monstrous screech filled the room before the ham radio sparked and caught fire. The light above them flicked back to life. The fire alarm blared over head. Lucas backed away from the radio looking around desperately for something to put out the fires. Dustin thinking fast found the fire extinguisher and managed to douse the flames in white foam. </p><p>"Shit we're screwed" Lucas realized. Mike bent down in front of Eleven who hadn't moved an inch. He spun the chair towards her. </p><p>"El are you okay?" Mike asked urgently. She stared at him with a dead look in her eyes blood trickling out of her nose. "Can you move?" he asked. She blinked at him as if trying to pull him into focus. "Here help her up" he said to Lucas and each boy took an arm hoisting her to her feet. </p><p>Dustin swiped a bunch of papers to the floor off the AV cart. "Here put her on this" he suggested. </p><p>"Brilliant" Mike grinned.</p><p>Eleven weakly dragged herself on the cart. "We gotta go now" Lucas said pushing the cart forward. Mike caught up and helped steer the cart into the hall. The halls were filled with classes walking in lines to the schoolyard. </p><p><em>Oh damn this is not good. </em>They pushed the cart up the crowded hallway trying to act casual as they pushed the cart fast through the hall with a girl barely conscious on it. Students all around them gave them weird looks and whispered but Lucas chose to ignore it focusing on their escape route. </p><p>"This way" he hissed pushing down a side corridor. He knew there was a side door by the science rooms that led to the parking lot. Mike jogged ahead and pushed open the door and Dustin and Lucas attempted to steer the cart out the door but El's head lolled as they crashed through the doorframe. The boys raced through the parking lot and slid to a stop by their bikes. </p><p>Dustin and Lucas helped El slide off the cart. Mike pulled out his bike. "El will you be okay to hold on?" he asked his eyes full of worry. She nodded once her head bobbing a little. She threw her leg over the bike and her head slumped onto Mike's back struggling to stay open. Mike grabbed her hands throwing them around his middle and holding them in place with one hand. </p><p>"Let's go now" Mike shouted wobbling a little as he tried to steer with one hand. </p><p>Together the boys took off into the road as a siren sounded in the distance and the fire alarm blared behind him. </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. The Flea and the Acrobat</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Okay so it picks up in the previous episode and continues into this episode. Sue me :p. Hope you enjoy! Please leave your criticism and love in the comments.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Hopper:</p><p><em>This is it. You do this and you will cross a line. This is the damn rabbit hole. </em>He felt bile in his throat as he gazed back at the ghostly pale grimy face of Will Byer, so unlike the happy go lucky kid on the posters all around town. Before he could change his mind, he ripped back the sheet. He pressed a hand to the kid's chest and felt nothing. A corpse should feel cold, slimy, and Hopper didn't feel any residue on his hands. <em>A dead body dragged from a lake should feel disgusting. There's no residue. </em>Hopper sighed deeply wishing he did not have to do this. He pulled out his pocket knife and slowly unsheathed the blade. He forced his hand to steady. He reached down and placed his fingertips to...to the stomach. He gasped a little at the fakeness beneath his fingertips. Determined, he slid the blade into the belly. It was tougher than he thought it should be. He cut a line up the chest, surprised by how much force it required. <em>This is not normal. </em>His fingers felt something soft and his heart jumped into his throat. He reached in and pulled out something inexplicable. He ripped open the hole more grabbing a handful of stuffing. </p><p>
  <em>They faked the whole damn thing! Will might be alive and held captive in Hawkins. I need to get in there. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>~</em>
</p><p>Mike:</p><p>His mind had been furiously replaying everything he had witnessed like a constant streaming loop. He couldn't believe the surrealness of all this. Here he sat, Mike Wheeler a seventh grade loser, next to a beautiful fugitive with superpowers sprawled out on a couch in his basement. Soon, they would all be going to Will's funeral. Will, the same guy who they heard alive. The same kid who was being hunted by a monster and needed their help. He felt so helpless as he shoved his hands into his pockets.</p><p>"What was Will saying?" he asked aloud. "Like home...like home...but dark" he muttered trying endlessly to make a connection that just wasn't there. They had been going over this practically all night.</p><p>"And empty" Lucas supplied again. Mike had noticed a sudden change in Lucas. Like all of them hearing Will's pleas and cries had strengthened their need for action. Lucas wasn't a reluctant participant anymore. He was fully on board and determined to find Will. Mike recognized the intensity. He imagined he looked the same way. </p><p>"Empty and cold. Wait, did he say cold?" Dustin asked tiredly. </p><p>"I don't know. The stupid radio kept going in and out" he stared at Mike and Dustin as if trying his hardest not to look at the girl sprawled out on the couch. </p><p>Dustin sighed deeply in frustration staring at the ceiling. "It's like riddles in the dark" he mused. </p><p>Mike ignored this. "Like home. Like his house?" he asked feeling trapped in a tornado of thought. </p><p>"Or maybe like Hawkins" Lucas suggested eagerly. </p><p>"Upside down" El commented softly holding his gaze. </p><p>"What'd she say?" Lucas asked in a slightly mocking tone. </p><p>"Upside down" Mike repeated and his eyes fell on the board game. "When El showed us where Will was, she flipped the board over remember?" Mike said to the boys showing them. </p><p>"Upside down! Dark. Empty" Mike said his thoughts catching on a line. </p><p>"Do you know what he's talking about?" Lucas asked Dustin exasperated. </p><p>"No" Dustin admitted. </p><p><em>Seriously. </em>"Guys come on, think about it. When El took us to find Will, she took us to his house right?" Mike said to Lucas. </p><p>"Yeah. And he wasn't there" Lucas said accusingly. </p><p>Forcing himself to stay calm he replied "But what if he was there? What if we just couldn't see him? What is he was on the other side? What if this is Hawkins and this is where Will is?" he said flipping over the board again. "The upside down" he insisted glancing at Dustin. </p><p>"Like the Vale of Shadows" Dustin gasped. </p><p>"The what?" Lucas asked in disbelief. Mike rummaged through his board game pulling out his game binder. </p><p>"The Vale of Shadows from the game" </p><p>As Dustin read off the definition from the page, Mike's body ran cold. He imagined small, shy, scared Will in that world. Another world. "An alternate dimension" he murmured. </p><p>"But...how do we get there?" Lucas asked. </p><p>"You cast shadow walk" Dustin said simply. </p><p>"In real life dummy" Lucas hissed. </p><p>"We can't shadow walk but...maybe she can" Dustin said slowly. El looked over at them, her eyes smaller. Hesitant. </p><p>"Do you know how we get there? To the upside down?" Mike asked her. Her eyes never left his face but she picked her head up the smallest amount and shook her head. </p><p>"Oh my god!" Lucas sighed in an almost disgusted tone. Mike glanced over a small blush splashing across his cheeks. </p><p>Mike sighed and then crossed the room to sit in front of El. "Have you ever been there?" he asked her. Her eyes became distant and unfocused. He had a feeling he pushed any further he wouldn't get anything out of her. </p><p>He sat down on the floor resting against the couch. "Who besides us would know anything about all this?" he asked rubbing his head in frustration. </p><p>"What about Mr. Clark? He knows all about science and science fiction. He loves all this. He is probably going to be at the funeral" Dustin suggested. </p><p>"So we should all go home. Get ready and at the funeral we can try and talk to him" Mike said glad to have a plan. </p><p>"This is so weird" Lucas growled. No one could think of anything else to say in response to this so the boys headed home. </p><p>Mike rolled his head over to look at El. "Feeling better?" he asked. </p><p>"Yes" she said simply. </p><p>He checked the clock on the wall. Two hours. His mom is going to be calling him soon to shower. "El I'm going to have to leave for a while. I promise I will be back later. No one will be home so you can explore as you want. There's food in the fridge if you get hungry and Eggos in the freezer. Will you..you'll be okay while I'm gone?" Mike asked sitting up and turning towards her. </p><p>"Promise" she smiled at him softly. </p><p>"I promise I'll be back as soon as I can" he grinned at her feeling a reckless urge to hug her or...</p><p>"Mike it's time to get ready" his mom yelled. </p><p>
  <em>Perfect timing Mom. </em>
</p><p>~</p><p>Joyce:</p><p>"Ah hello Mrs. Byers" a voice called breaking her out of her stupor. She had been so numb and confused since she saw her son. She knew what she saw and felt. He knew he was out of her reach but she also knew that wasn't her son in that coffin. She looked around all the side eyes to see a familiar man in front of him offering a cup of punch for her. </p><p>"Hey...your.." she stammered trying to get her frozen mind to work. </p><p>He smiled kindly at her. "I'm...I was Will's teacher, Scott Clark. We are all so sorry for your loss" he said shaking her hand. </p><p>"Mr. Clark yeah Will really likes you. I noticed you talking to his friends earlier" she said slowly. Scott didn't comment on her use of present tense. She refused to talk about her son in the past tense. </p><p>"They are all great kids. They wanted to talk about...science fiction. Probably looking for an escape" he mused. </p><p>"Aren't we all" she murmured. She looked across the room where Lonnie was working the room. Typical. He always was good at getting people to like him. She wasn't like that. Scott followed her gaze. </p><p>"Is that Will's father?" he guessed. </p><p>"We are estranged. He came back for the funeral. Play the part of doting father" she said miserably. </p><p>Scott was silent for a minute before he gazed at her knowingly. "Albert Einstein once said 'two things are infinite:the universe and human stupidity; and I'm not sure about the universe'. People are designed flawed and tragedy can bring us together or tear us apart" Scott said wisely. </p><p>"You are a good teacher. If I had a teacher like you when I was in school maybe I wouldn't have cut class so much" she replied with a small chuckle. </p><p>"Take care Mrs. Byers" he smiled and pat her shoulder once. </p><p>
  <em>I have made a lot of stupid decisions in my life. Lonnie for example. Lonnie isn't here to play the part of doting father and husband. You know that. I can't be stupid any more. I know what I saw and heard. I made Will a promise. I'm going to keep it. </em>
</p><p>~</p><p>Eleven:</p><p>Eleven had this strange wriggling feeling in her stomach. She had used her powers before and it didn't affect her stomach. She had a feeling this was related to her deception. She felt bad about lying to Dustin, Lucas, and especially Mike. They were her friends. That's why she had to protect them. She had seen the Upside Down and she couldn't let her new friends find it. The closer they got, the more her memories flooded back to her. She looked over at Mike's profile, determined and brooding. It looked so soft and childish. Mike was determined to save his friend. She knew Will was still alive. She also knew if they found the gate, they would be killed. She had to stop them. </p><p>"Mike" she asked grabbing his arm. </p><p>His dark brown eyes swept up her face. "Yeah" he prompted still walking. </p><p>"Turn back" she begged. </p><p>"What why?" he asked his eyes burning her face making it harder for her to lie. She wasn't used to communicating so lying was even more confusing. </p><p>"I'm tired" she said. </p><p>He sighed. <em>Upset? </em>she wondered. "Look, I'm sure we're almost there. Just hold on a little longer, okay?" he said a little impatiently giving her his trademark grin. She looked back at how far they walked. She concentrated and redirected their magnetic pull. She followed along as a dribble of blood trickled out of her nose. </p><p>Mike looked back over his shoulder at her. She sped up to keep in step with him. "Look I know this is hard but Will needs us" he said peering over at her. </p><p>"Will's been my friend since kindergarten. He's shy and awkward and gets teased a lot but he's a great friend. He needs me...us. Do you understand?" he asked looking over at her. That feeling in her gut worsened. </p><p>"Why great?" she asked. </p><p>"Hmm...He's always there for me. He loves D &amp; D and all the same stuff I do. He's really smart and draws pictures for all of us. I have a whole stack of his drawings in the basement" Mike replied his eyes distant. El remembered the drawings she did in the bad place. She wondered if that made her a great friend. </p><p><em>Friends don't lie </em>Mike's word repeated in her skull. </p><p>
  <em>I'm a bad friend. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>~</em>
</p><p>Eleven had never felt awful. Her body wasn't used to this much trauma. Her head was dizzy from the effort of redirecting the magnetic current and she was beginning to learn tears hurt her head as well. Tears prickled her eyes, her chest ached, and her stomach felt so knotted she was wondering if she would throw up. She had never been ill from her feelings before but she had never felt like this before. Lucas's anger was volatile and explosive and seemed to affect her ability to breathe. She walked away from the boys needing some air but the two boys arguing didn't seem to notice. </p><p>Dustin walked over to her. "What do you mean not safe?" he asked looking at her in concern. </p><p>"Leave it alone Dustin. I'm done. I'm not believing another word out of this traitor's mouth" Lucas growled at Dustin who looked alarmed and took a step back. <em>Traitor, liar. </em></p><p>"Back off Lucas. It's not Dustin's fault and it's not El's" Mike scowled still defending her. </p><p>Lucas rolled his eyes skyward looking a little mad. "Seriously? We should have never bothered with her. Maybe if we had left her in the woods we wouldn't have been wasting our time breaking into school and walking for miles through the forest. What did I tell you she's been playing us from the beginning" Lucas yelled turning to face Mike again. </p><p>"That's not true. She helped us find Will!" Mike shouted back angrily. She felt so powerless to stop them. </p><p>"Find Will? Find Will?! Where is he then? Huh? I don't see him" Lucas said flapping his arms and sounding like he was joking but El noticed everyone look even more tense. </p><p>"You know what I mean" Mike scowled. </p><p>"No, I actually don't" Lucas growled back getting in Mike's face once more. </p><p>"Just think about it Mike. She could've just told us where the Upside Down was right away but she didn't" Lucas demanded pointing at her. Mike gave her a quick searching look which physically hurt her She felt trapped looking between the two boys feeling helpless and in agony. She hated that she was the cause for their argument. </p><p>"All right calm down" Dustin said trying to step between the two but Lucas shoved him away. </p><p>"No! She helped just enough so she could get what she wants. Food and a bed. She's like a stray dog" Lucas yelled only getting angrier. His anger was like a constant burning pain scalding her. </p><p>"Screw you, Lucas!" Mike yelled. His blind friendship on the other hand was like salt on a burn(she had experienced this experiment) so she knew the agony. </p><p>"No! Screw you, Mike. You're blind...blind because you like that a girl's not grossed out by you" Lucas yelled. Every muscle in Mike's face tightened and he got the same look in his eyes he had when he shoved the mouth-breathers. For a reason she wasn't quite clear she felt her face warm. </p><p>"But wake up, man! Wake the hell up! She knows where Will is and now she's just letting him die in the Upside Down" he yelled waving a hand to her once more. </p><p>"Shut up!" Mike hollered slowly losing control. </p><p>"For all we know, it's her fault" Lucas said slower now almost trying to provoke Mike. </p><p>"We're looking for some stupid monster but did you ever stop to think that maybe she's the monster?" Lucas said lightly pushing Mike back. </p><p><em>She's the monster. I'm the monster. </em>Her chest felt like it was caving in on her. A sob built in her chest and clogged there making it so hard to breathe. Her eyes burned and she watched in horror as Mike screamed "I said shut up!" and tackled Lucas to the ground. </p><p>"Stop!" she called her voice cracking from the effort. </p><p>"Knock it off you idiots!" Dustin yelled. The boys continued to wrestle on the ground. </p><p>"Stop it" she begged as her mind whirled and all her feelings mixed together into a volatile tornado inside her. </p><p>"Mike, get off!" Dustin yelled. Lucas rolled on top of Mike. </p><p>"Stop it!" she shrieked as the tornado increased in her. All her pain, anger, and confusion came tearing out of her with one giant shove. Lucas flew ten feet through the air and slammed into the concrete wall and went limp. </p><p>El thought she would feel better, that the building up tornado had escaped. It hadn't escaped though, it had shattered internally. She felt like her insides were flamebroiled and her stomach knotted itself in a tight knot. Dustin and Mike sprinted over to Lucas's still frame and tried to wake him. <em>Don't be dead. Please, don't let him dead. </em></p><p>Lucas didn't stir. <em>Don't be dead. </em>Tears burned her eyes and her pain cracked inside her. </p><p>Mike spun around on his knees. "What's wrong with you? What is wrong with you?" he demanded. </p><p>The misery inside her howled as she broke down sobbing. Her head ached swarming with memories, her eyes swimming with tears, she watched as the person she cared about most turned away from her. She backed up as the painful memories began to flood through her. She ran to the edge of the wood and then stopped. It was a little hard to see across the lot but she saw the figure on the ground get up. </p><p><em>I didn't kill him. I will though. I am a monster. </em>With that thought, she wiped her face and vowed to never see those boys again. They would be safer far, far away from her. In the distant she heard Mike's voice calling for her and everything inside her wanted to turn around but she remembered Mike's face. </p><p>
  <em>What is wrong with you?</em>
</p><p>
  <em>She's the monster. </em>
</p><p>She disappeared into the woods leaving her three only friends behind her. </p>
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